Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Regulating the metabolic expression of photosynthetic microorganisms offers the possibility of producingx000D
high-value chemicals directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. Despite a plethora of phenotypic andx000D
molecular information, only a few cyanobacterial isolates have been developed into tractable genetic systemsx000D
with associated genome-scale metabolic models. This limits the number of strains that can be used as platformx000D
chemical producers. AlgaBloom International, a Vancouver-based biotech company specializing in bioreactorx000D
design and cynaobacterial cell growth, is interested in developing their specific strain of Spirulina, optimizedx000D
for high growth yields, as a platform chemical producer to extend their market range and profitability. Throughx000D
the application of genome-scale metabolic modeling techniques and controlled laboratory growth experiments,x000D
this project aims to redirect metabolite flow through desired biosynthetic pathways in Spirulina. During thisx000D
phase of the project we will specifically focus on genome sequencing and model directed over-production ofx000D
phycocyanin, a valuable photosynthetic pigment with multiple applications in the food, medical andx000D
instrumentation industries. Predicted overproduction phenotypes will be tested at both bench- and pilot-scalesx000D
and an optimized phycocyanin extraction and purification protocol will be developed for AlgaBloom.